[DonDavis]

Your decision, but you asked...

I think you're spending way too much effort and mental gymnastics on the vehicle selection.

Get a reasonable, paid-for, manual transmission 4cyl vehicle.
Teach him to look ahead 15 secs and practice a 2-4 second following distance, and check mirrors every 10 sec.

This will create a "built-in early braking" habit that's more valuable than darn near any tech.

Keep it simple, too much data can be overwhelming for new drivers.
Just mention the 15 sec and 2-4 sec following distance, and mirrors fairly often. And nothing else. These 3 things are plenty for at least 3-4 years.

When or if, he comes home with a busted tail light, crinkled bumper or cracked rear window...big whoop. Discuss what happened, ask if there's a lesson, fix it on the cheap, and let him continue focusing on grades and living life.

Entirely too much focus is placed on vehicles, payments, blah, blah, blah that can put new drivers on edge. Even causing anxiety.

There are enough distractions for our teens.

Enjoy the search. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.